Fuji Finepix F770EXR Review

Mid Zoom Digital Cameras

16 Megapixels 20x Zoom

Dimensions: 105 x 63 x 36mm Weight: 234g

Bad Points: LCD screen quality

Overview

The Fuji Finepix F770EXR has plenty of features in a relatively small body. The main attraction is likely to be its 20x zoom lens. Other features include 16 megapixels, Full High Definition Movies, stereo sound and manual exposure modes.

Fuji have equipped the Finepix F770EXR with some of the more recently introduced digital camera features. These include 360 degree panoramas and a 3D mode. GPS tracking is likely to be useful when you take your camera on holiday.

Compared with other similar sized digital cameras at this price point the Finepix F770EXR has the following:

Plus Points

20x Zoom

Full High Definition Movies

GPS Tracking

3D Mode

360 Degree Panoramas

RAW Mode

8 Frames Per Second Burst Mode

Bracketing

Film Simulation

Negative Points

No Slow Motion Movies

Why Buy the Fuji Finepix F770EXR

The Finepix F770EXR offers an extensive range of features for a camera of this size. In addition to its features picture quality is very good and shutter response times are first rate.

Features

Megapixels and Zoom

The Finepix F770EXR has 16 megapixels and a 20x zoom lens. The lens has a focal length equivalent to 25 - 500mm in 35mm format.

Manual Controls

If you are a more advanced photographer or you would like to learn the basics of photography you can take advantage of the manual exposure modes. These allow you to set the shutter speed and aperture size when taking a shot. As well as fully manual mode you also have access to shutter priority and aperture priority.

If you are not sure what the ideal aperture size or shutter speed is for your shot you can use bracketing. This will automatically give you extra photos taken with slightly different settings. You can then select your favourite shot. Bracketing is also available for use with film types and dynamic range. So for example you can take the same photo and see what it would look like using different types of film.

Motion Panoramas

If you would like something a little different from your camera you can try the motion panorama setting. This will give you 360 degree panoramic shots.

3D Photos

3D photography is available too. This comes into its own if you have a 3D television to play back your photos on.

GPS

GPS is becoming increasingly common, especially on these small size, long zoom type digital cameras. Using GPS means you can find out exactly where you were in the world when you took a picture.

Movie Mode

The Finepix F770EXR can shoot Full High Definition Movies. It is also capable of recording sound in stereo.

Fast Burst Mode

If you are trying to capture a fast moving subject you can place the camera in burst mode. It will then fire off a short set of shots at a rate of up to 8 frames per second.

Pro Focus Mode

You may have seen photos where the background has been thrown out of focus to highlight the main subject. For example this is a popular technique in portrait photography. The Finepix F770EXR has a special mode you can use for achieving this effect.

Pro Lowlight Mode

When you are taking photos in lowlight you can find that noise starts to creep into your shots. This takes the edge off the definition of your photos. By switching the camera to Pro Lowlight mode noise levels can be reduced. This is achieved by the camera taking a short burst of shots and then merging them together to increase picture quality.

RAW Mode

If you are planning to enhance the look of your photographs using software packages such as Adobe Photoshop you are likely to want to make use of the RAW mode. When saving your images in RAW format you have a much greater level of detail available to you when you are working on your pictures.

Film Simulation

Fuji have always had a good reputation for producing film for traditional 35mm cameras. They have equipped the Finepix F770EXR with five different modes that mimic the look provided by film. The film simulation modes are Provia (standard), Velvia (vivid), Astia (soft), black and white and sepia.

LCD Screen

The LCD screen is 3 inches in size.

Image Stabilisation

Fuji have built Image Stabilisation into the camera to help prevent any unwanted picture blur.

Shooting Modes

To help you get the best possible shots Fuji have built in a number of pre defined scene modes. These are: natural light, natural light with flash, portrait, portrait enhancer, dog, cat, landscape, sport, night, night with tripod, fireworks, sunset, snow, beach, underwater, flower, party and text.

Macro Mode

For close up work the camera can focus from 5cm away from your subject.

Memory Cards

You can save images to SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards.

Batteries

Power is supplied by a lithium ion battery. Fuji suggests you should be able to take around 300 shots per charge.

Image Quality

Picture Quality Summary

Picture quality compares well with other leading digital cameras in this category. Although it is true that picture quality tends to be good with this type of camera, the Finepix F770EXR holds its own against some stiff competition.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 1

The Finepix F770EXR gets off to a good start. The picture is sharp and the brickwork on the building really stands out. This scene has plenty of very light areas and also plenty of areas in deep shade. It is hard for a camera to show high levels of detail in those areas. For this test the Finepix F770EXR was placed in EXR mode and used the High Dynamic Range setting. This means that it should show as much detail as possible in the lightest and darkest areas of the shot. I cannot see any significant difference in the level of detail showing in the lightest areas of the photo, but there is some extra detail showing in the shady areas.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 2

In this test the sharpness of the shot is better than you will find with the majority of digital cameras. This test shot was taken on a windy day and the camera does well to freeze any swaying trees to ensure you can see detail.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 3

With the lens fully zoomed in the shot remains impressively sharp. There is also absolutely minimal purple fringing to report. It does not appear to a level where you are ever likely to notice it in a print. Fringing levels are also less obvious than with most similar digital cameras with this length of lens.

Outdoor Building

Sharpness levels are very good when only a small percentage of the zoom available is used. There is a slight fall off in sharpness in the more distant areas of the building on the left hand side, but this is not to a significant degree.

Outdoor Portrait

Considering the fact this photo was taken on a very dull day the Finepix F770EXR manages to inject a lot of brightness into the shot. This bodes well for when you are taking portraits and the lighting might not be as bright as you would like it to be. Focusing is sharp right across the photo.

Indoor Portrait With Flash

Lighting levels are more or less perfectly judged. There is just enough light to spread evenly across the face and lighten the hair. The Finepix F770EXR manages to avoid producing too much light and giving the picture a harsh look.

Indoor Portrait Without Flash

Overall picture quality is good for a photo taken indoors on a dull day. The only negative point is that the corners of the photo are darker than the rest.

Macro

In terms of sharpness the macro test shot is outstanding. The main subject of the shot stands out and the level of detail is very impressive. The background falls increasingly out of focus to further accentuate the area that has been chosen to be in sharp focus.

Colours

The colours produced by the Finepix F770EXR are perhaps a little understated compared to those produced by some other digital camera brands. There are options to boost colour levels if you wish to do so or you may prefer a more subtle look to your photos.

Noise

Noise levels are kept under control. Some of the shady areas in the first test shot do show some noise, but this is to be expected in shade.

Top Rated Cameras in this Category

Nikon Coolpix S9300 Rating 86/100

For a camera that is small enough to take anywhere the Nikon Coolpix S9300 has a lot of features packed into it. If you are planning to take a holiday GPS tracking will tell you where you were when a picture was taken. The length of the zoom lens also gives you plenty of scope when it comes to picture opportunities. Although there is plenty of completion in this category the picture quality on offer here combined with the features makes this camera very attractive indeed. Recommended.

The Canon Powershot SX260 HS is one of the very best digital cameras in this category. In fact if you are happy to miss out on features such as 3D photography and 360 degree panoramas it is very hard to beat. It has a great set of features packed into its relatively compact body size and picture quality helps to make it stand out from the competition. Although it is one of the more expensive cameras in this field it still offers good value for money.

If you are looking for a simple, pocket camera that gives you some extra zoom and takes high quality snapshots the Panasonic Lumix DMC SZ1 is a very good choice. Compared to other cameras with similar features available at around the same price this camera has the edge when it comes to picture quality. It takes sharp, colourful photos and offers excellent value for money. Recommended.

Related Pages

Review Date

Review Date: June 2012

Verdict

The competition between the leading cameras in this category is very tough. They all take good pictures, have similar features and are available for roughly the same price. The Fuji Finepix F770EXR stands alongside the best in the bunch and loses little by comparison. You should be able to take a decent photo in more or less any situation and there are more than enough features to play around with to fine tune your photos and get the most out of this camera. It does the job it sets out to do without much fuss and bother. I would be happy to own one.

Shutter Lag Times

Handling

General Handling

This size of camera should be easy to hold steady no matter what sized hands you have. It is big enough to get a good grip. On the front is a raised, gripping area and on the back is a ribbed indent for your thumb.

Flash Positioning

The flash unit pops up on the top of the camera. This positioning means you will need to adjust your hand position for holding the camera.

LCD Screen Quality

This is one area where Fuji could make an improvement. The screen was harder to see than most other digital cameras tested at the same time.

Turn on Time and Shutter Delay

Response times were extremely impressive. They are one of the big attractions of this camera. A single shot took 0.15 seconds with five shots taking 5.39 seconds. With flash times were 0.28 seconds for a single shot and 8.99 seconds for five.

Design, Build Quality and Finish

The Finepix F770EXR looks a little less boxy than a lot of digital cameras. It has more of a retro look to it. Build quality is in line with expectations. It has a matt finish and is available in black, red, blue, champagne gold and white.

Camera Controls

On the top of the camera is the on / off button, zoom ring and a function button. You can select a main function such as ISO or RAW mode for the button to control. At an angle between the top of the camera and the back of the camera sits the main control dial.

The back of the camera has buttons for reviewing images, shooting movies, changing the LCD display and showing the main camera functions. There is also a circular control section. This houses controls for setting flash, activating the self timer, placing the camera in macro mode, applying exposure compensation and deleting an image. In the centre of this area is a button for accessing the menu system and confirming a setting. There is also a dial for speeding up the process of selecting options.